Best PAYG sim card for emergency use only? (for 2023)

savergrant

Sadly it needs to be a chargeable call, and in more and more cases you need to topup regularly. If I were you I would be looking at getting a free sim every 6 months (as you aren't planning on making calls you could stretch to 9 months) and porting between vodafone, asda and lebara, who both piggyback on the vodafone signal

https://freesim.vodafone.co.uk/check-out-payasyougo-campaign

https://mobile.asda.com/order-sim

https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/free-sim

There have been reports that asda are cracking down on people regularly porting a number in and out of their service (usually to qualify for new customer deals with lebara) but I think being with them for 6 months then away for 12 months it wouldn't be a problem and worst case scenario you need a new number after 18 months.

eDicky

Steveyg777 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Do you know which phone operators give you good coverage at your home (specifically in your bedroom)?

Which operator do you use in your everyday phone? 

Are you reliant on wi-fi calling?

good networks in my area is 3 and vodafone. the emergency phone is so old it won't do wifi calling lol its an old nokia 1600 (not touch screen)

A SIM from Three UK network will not work in your Nokia 1600 handset, which is 2G only.

ProDave

eDicky said:

Steveyg777 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Do you know which phone operators give you good coverage at your home (specifically in your bedroom)?

Which operator do you use in your everyday phone? 

Are you reliant on wi-fi calling?

good networks in my area is 3 and vodafone. the emergency phone is so old it won't do wifi calling lol its an old nokia 1600 (not touch screen)

A SIM from Three UK network will not work in your Nokia 1600 handset, which is 2G only.

And most networks are now closing down 2G so the old phone will come to the end of it's life.  O2 are the ones proposing to keep 2G going a bit longer but that does not help you if there is no O2 coverage.

savergrant

Seeing as you have got the phone you might as well try a free sim in it to check if you have coverage. Looking further ahead you could pick up a cheap 4g phone for under 20 quid. Your major issue is likely to be making sure it is charged, maybe you could set a time every eve to switch it on and plug it in if necessary?

What is your 2g coverage checker saying at the moment?

PHK

ProDave said:

eDicky said:

Steveyg777 said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Do you know which phone operators give you good coverage at your home (specifically in your bedroom)?

Which operator do you use in your everyday phone? 

Are you reliant on wi-fi calling?

good networks in my area is 3 and vodafone. the emergency phone is so old it won't do wifi calling lol its an old nokia 1600 (not touch screen)

A SIM from Three UK network will not work in your Nokia 1600 handset, which is 2G only.

And most networks are now closing down 2G so the old phone will come to the end of its life.  O2 are the ones proposing to keep 2G going a bit longer but that does not help you if there is no O2 coverage.

It’s 3G which is being closed down, once that is done the networks will announce their plans for 2G. They’ve committed to do this by 2033, so 2G will be around for a while yet. 

Steveyg777

savergrant said:

Seeing as you have got the phone you might as well try a free sim in it to check if you have coverage. Looking further ahead you could pick up a cheap 4g phone for under 20 quid. Your major issue is likely to be making sure it is charged, maybe you could set a time every eve to switch it on and plug it in if necessary?

What is your 2g coverage checker saying at the moment?

2g and 3g are good indoors. I hadn't thought about the phone being only 2g lol.

does anyone know, if they stop 2g and even 3g, will I still be able to make an emergency call (with any phone in this context) if I am in the middle of nowhere if all I can reach is one mast for example?  (which id imagine is 1g or edge?)

Steveyg777

savergrant said:

Seeing as you have got the phone you might as well try a free sim in it to check if you have coverage. Looking further ahead you could pick up a cheap 4g phone for under 20 quid. Your major issue is likely to be making sure it is charged, maybe you could set a time every eve to switch it on and plug it in if necessary?

What is your 2g coverage checker saying at the moment?

what phone would you recommend? got a link please?

ps- I would just leave it plugged in on charge permanently to ensure it works and leave the phone on too in case of emergency

savergrant

My 9yo daughter has a moto g off ebay which was actually missold to us as a g2 during lockdown. It works OK and cost £18.
It just about copes with apps currently, but so long as she can call us if she needs to we're not upgrading it. I also have a spare Samsung which she uses at home for her schoolwork.

I think you can buy new Alcatel and Doro pretty cheaply  but all our phones have been secondhand, usually when my brother-in-law gets an upgrade.

Murmansk

Steveyg777 said:

ps- I would just leave it plugged in on charge permanently to ensure it works and leave the phone on too in case of emergency

Don't leave it permanently on charge, it will destroy the battery. Battery best left charged to about 80%. Turn it on once a month to check there's battery charge and make a quick call or text to keep the SIM alive (a "chargeable event" - don't just make another phone ring, answer it on the other phone).